• Home
  • Blog
  • My Book
  • Subscribe
  • Shop
  • About
    • Contact
    • Terms & Privacy

Lovely Greens

INTERESTED IN SOAP MAKING & EDIBLE GARDENING?

Sign up for the weekly Lovely Greens newsletter to get new ideas straight to your inbox for free:

Check your Email

To be subscribed to Lovely Greens you'll need to confirm your Email address. Head to your email and find the message I just sent you. You'll need to click the confirm button to complete the registration.

.
  • Books
    • A Woman’s Garden
    • Lovely Greens Guide to Natural Soapmaking
    • Calendula Skincare Ebook
  • Gardening
    • Intro to Gardening
    • Kitchen Gardening
    • Skincare Gardening
    • Gardening tips
    • Gardening Projects
    • Flowers
  • Soap Making
    • Intro to Soap Making
    • Soap Recipes
    • Soap Making Series
    • Soap Making Videos
  • Videos
    • Introduction to Videos
    • Browse videos
    • Subscribe on YouTube
  • More topics
    • The Isle of Man
    • Plant Based Skincare
    • Candle making
    • Food Recipes
    • DIY Natural Home
    • Beekeeping
    • DIY Gift Ideas
    • Most Popular
    • Wild Food Foraging
    • Travel
  • Browse by Season
    • Spring
    • Summer
    • Autumn
    • Winter
How to plant a Strawberry Pallet Planter
This post contains affiliate links. Click here for the full disclosure statement.
Share73
Tweet
Pin3K
3K Shares

June 9, 2016 · 15 Comments

How to plant a Strawberry Pallet Planter

Container Gardening· Garden Projects· Gardening· Gardening tips· Kitchen Gardening· Videos

How to plant a Strawberry Pallet Planter

Instructions on how to plant a handmade Strawberry Pallet Planter with up to 20 plants. Includes a link to how to build one and a planting-up video at the end.

Three years ago I shared how to make a Better Strawberry Pallet Planter and currently have two of them in my own garden. They grow loads of berries in a relatively small space so I’ve had a lot of people interested in the project. This piece goes through how to plant one up with up to twenty strawberry plants.

I grow strawberries in both the garden and at home and get as much productivity out of the plants in the pallet planter as I do in the open ground. The trick to keeping your plants happy is to plant them in rich compost and composted manure and to keep the planter well watered. Once you’ve planted it up, the plants inside will last from two to three years and will only need a top dressing of more composted manure each spring. Keep the top of the planter and the gaps between the slats filled with straw to reduce water evaporation and to keep the compost in the planter.

How to plant strawberries in a Strawberry Pallet Planter #lovelygreens #growstrawberries #organicgarden
How to plant strawberries in a Strawberry Pallet Planter #lovelygreens #growstrawberries #organicgarden

Grow strawberries on your patio with a strawberry pallet planter

What you’ll need

Your four main materials needed for planting are straw, multi-purpose compost and/or composted manure, and landscaping fabric. The latter is to keep the compost from falling out through the gaps on the back, bottom, and sides of your planter.

You’ll also need plants. Any strawberry plants will do and I’ve planted my original planter up with some generic variety from the local gardening centre. My planters have 18 plants each but if you plant the sides up you can have 20 plants growing. Theoretically you could plant the back side up as well. I imagine you’ll need to feed and water the plants even more to get a harvest if you do so.

Even with the straw mulch you’ll still need to water your planter every day. All planters need daily watering but to get juicy berries and keep your plants thriving, make sure you don’t forget, especially in the heat of summer just before they fruit.

How to plant strawberries in a Strawberry Pallet Planter #lovelygreens #growstrawberries #organicgarden

Plant a strawberry pallet planter with straw, compost and/or manure, and plants

Steps on how to plant a Strawberry Pallet Planter

To see the entire process, watch the video at the bottom and subscribe to my YouTube channel as well.

Inside the Strawberry Pallet Planter will be wire mesh / chicken wire that you’ve lined the bottom with. Mine is not attached in any way to the wood — it’s just pressed in. This wire will keep the compost and straw from falling through.

How to plant strawberries in a Strawberry Pallet Planter #lovelygreens #growstrawberries #organicgarden

Wire helps hold the planters contents in from the bottom

Next, line the bottom and back with landscaping fabric. This will also help keep the compost in and also doesn’t need to be attached in any way.

Put a layer of straw in then fill the planter to the first set of slats. Place your strawberry plants in from from the inside and pad out the empty space in the gap with more straw. When all your plants are in for that level, add more compost to bring the level up to the next set of slats. Repeat.

Enroll in the Botanical Skin Care Course with the Herbal Academy

How to plant strawberries in a Strawberry Pallet Planter #lovelygreens #growstrawberries #organicgarden

How to plant strawberries in a Strawberry Pallet Planter #lovelygreens #growstrawberries #organicgarden

Keep well watered and you can expect berries this summer

Caring for your Strawberry Pallet Planter

I recommend that you top dress the surface of the planter with grit or more straw. It helps keep moisture in the planter and also reduces any soil erosion when you water it. Even so, soil will come out of the planter over time and it will accumulate underneath. Clean that area regularly or use trays to catch the run-off.

This planter will need daily watering in the middle of summer. At other times it will stay moist for longer periods — use your finger to determine if the compost is moist or not.

As for longevity — my first strawberry pallet planter lasted five years. It was looking a bit rickety towards the end but probably could have kept going if we didn’t have to move house. You’ll also need to replant this planter after its third year. Strawberry plants need changing out after that time and it’s also a good opportunity to repaint it if you’d like. I’d suggest an eco-friendly paint option if possible.

If you have any further questions on how to plant the Strawberry Pallet Planter please leave me a comment below. Watch the video below to see how I plant mine up and head over here if you’d like to see how to build your own.

How to plant strawberries in a Strawberry Pallet Planter #lovelygreens #growstrawberries #organicgarden

You might also like

  • How to Make a Better Strawberry Pallet PlanterHow to Make a Better Strawberry Pallet Planter
  • Readers make their own Strawberry Pallet PlantersReaders make their own Strawberry Pallet Planters
  • 30+ Garden Projects using Sticks & Twigs30+ Garden Projects using Sticks & Twigs
  • Live Video Tour of 5 Pallet Wood Planters & ProjectsLive Video Tour of 5 Pallet Wood Planters & Projects
Tweet
Pin3K
Share73
3K Shares
Share73
Tweet
Pin3K
3K Shares
Previous Post: « The best way to use fresh Aloe Vera for Sunburns
Next Post: 14 Fun things to do on the Isle of Man »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Amelia says

    May 8, 2020 at 5:49 pm

    Thank you so much for this pin. I model most of my raised beds after this!

    Reply
  2. Donna says

    April 4, 2020 at 10:56 pm

    Can I plant tomatoes, peppers, and strawberries together in the planter???

    Reply
    • lovelygreens says

      April 11, 2020 at 5:15 pm

      It might be a bit much to try to squeeze all of those plants in. As they’re all fruiting plants, they’d compete with nutrients too, especially whilst flowering and setting fruit. If you were to grow tomatoes in it, I’d recommend planting it up with basil between the slats. If you were going to grow peppers, plant lettuce, spinach, or spring onions with it. These are all suitable companion plants and the leafier greens won’t demand as much from the compost.

      Reply
  3. Heather Diffendall says

    June 9, 2019 at 8:33 pm

    Why do the strawberries need to be changed out after a few years?

    Reply
  4. Cheryl Glienke says

    June 22, 2018 at 9:29 pm

    I’m so disappointed, the plants did not grow out the sides, The plants on the top did wonderfully but the sides died, I even bought more plants and planted them in the sides again and they also died. What am I doing wrong?

    Reply
    • lovelygreens says

      June 23, 2018 at 7:17 am

      Hi Cheryl, I’m unsure what went wrong but it’s most likely a personal situation. Try to troubleshoot what went wrong by thinking about how the plants looked when they died. Was it not enough water? Erosion around the roots? Etc

      Reply
  5. Caroline says

    September 23, 2017 at 2:11 pm

    Hi Tanya, can you let me know how to line the planter . Thank you.

    Reply
    • lovelygreens says

      September 26, 2017 at 11:04 am

      Watch the video at the top of the post for more info on lining the planter.

      Reply
  6. Karen says

    August 30, 2017 at 7:34 pm

    I love this idea and can’t wait to try it. Hopefully my pallet at home is the right kind! One suggestion… I think it would be nice to add casters to the bottom so you can roll it around the patio.

    Reply
  7. John says

    July 26, 2017 at 7:47 am

    Nice project! You can attach the legs before you assemble the planter. That way you can screw it in from the other side quite easily.

    Reply
  8. keeksb says

    May 30, 2017 at 10:21 pm

    Hi Tanya,

    Thanks for the tutorials, I made a planter following your instructions yesterday, so far so good.

    In regards to planting when you say multipurpose compost, will compost from my compost bin be ok? Or are you referring to multi purpose potting mix compost?

    If I do use regular compost can you advise any amendments to make it suitable for the planter? I have been told compost in containers is too heavy.

    Thanks

    Reply
    • lovelygreens says

      May 31, 2017 at 6:55 pm

      Compost from your bin is ideal! If you’re planting strawberries make sure to give them rich material to grow in and/or feed them regularly. I’ve had my strawberries growing in composted manure and garden compost for years now. I change it out every 2-3 years.

      Reply
  9. Adela Olivero says

    May 8, 2017 at 10:51 am

    Dear Tanya, please explain what is the WELL COMPOSTED MANURE. Can I just go to a stable and get some that is a few days old? Thank you. BTW i will send you pics of my project.

    Reply
    • lovelygreens says

      May 8, 2017 at 11:51 am

      Fresh manure can harm growing plants — the urea burns them. When using manure around growing plants, make sure that it’s sat in a heap for at least six months. Some gardeners will apply fresh manure to the soil in winter but I’ve not tried that myself.

      Reply
      • Adela Olivero says

        May 8, 2017 at 8:51 pm

        Thank you. I guess I have to try some other organic fertilizer.

        Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




*

I agree

Primary Sidebar

Tanya Anderson Lovely Greens Welcome to Lovely Greens. I'm Tanya and I share ideas on growing organic herbs, vegetables, and fruit and then creatively using them in the home, beauty, and kitchen. Learn more about Lovely Greens

As featured in

Gardeners World Logo HGTV logo Vegetarian Living Logo Willow and Sage Magazine Logo Grow Your Own Mag
A Woman’s Garden, a new book from Tanya Anderson of Lovely Greens, covers eight categories of useful plants, over thirty-five plant-based projects and recipes, and features women gardeners from around the world
  • Books
  • Gardening
  • Soap Making
  • Videos
  • More topics
  • Browse by Season

Footer

Categories

Archives

Search this site

COPYRIGHT © 2021 LOVELY GREENS | Privacy Policy
This site uses cookies to give you the best possible experience. Find out more.